WHERE INSIGHT GUIDES RECOGNITION

Bringing together the country’s foremost design and real estate minds, this year’s Commercial Design Awards jury meet set a rigorous benchmark for excellence across the modern workplace ecosystem.

- By Rashmi Naicker

The fourth edition of the Commercial Design Awards 2025 set a new benchmark for India's commercial design fraternity, not only in scale and participation but also in the depth of engagement and learning it offered. Held on 7th November, 2025, at the Welspun Global Flooring Plant in Hyderabad, one of the world's most advanced manufacturing ecosystems for hard and soft flooring solutions, the Grand Jury Meet became much more than an evaluation day-it became an experience that brought design, engineering, technology, culture, and sustainability together under one roof.

The jury meet brought together some of the most influential minds in the commercial real estate and workplace design sectors. Their task was formidable: to evaluate more than 700 submissions from architects, interior designers, design-and-build firms, project managers, MEP consultants, workplace strategists, security heads, and young designers from across the country. The sheer number and quality of entries reflected the evolving maturity of India’s built environment — one that is increasingly global in aspirations yet rooted in local understanding; technologically ambitious yet sensitive to human experience.

The day began with the arrival of jury members at the expansive Welspun campus, nestled across 600 acres of meticulously planned industrial land. The sense of scale—both physical and conceptual—was immediate. As is tradition at Welspun, the group was first led to the onsite temple for a short puja and blessing ceremony, marking an auspicious start. It was a moment of calm before a long day of deliberations, and the serene setting set a reflective tone.